Over the course of the next few months, I'm counting down 100 of my favorite Houston dishes. I chose some because they are such quintessential Houston creations, others for their cultural or historical significance, and others because they are just so damn tasty. Share your own nominations in the comments.

#23 Green Falafel Sandwich at Zabak's

A falafel is a vegan chickpea patty seasoned with onion, garlic, cumin and pepper. Zabak's falafels are bright-green and spicy-hot thanks to the addition of green jalapeño peppers to the usual mix. To make the sandwich, a couple of the green chickpea patties are fried crispy and placed inside toasted pita bread with lettuce, tomato, tahini sauce and za'atar. Then a generous dash of Cajun Chef hot sauce is added.

Zabak's falafel sandwich rocked the city when it debuted in 1975 at a sandwich shop on Hillcroft called Mama's Po'Boys owned by Palestinian immigrant George Zabak and his wife Kay. After the death of his wife, a grief-stricken George Zabak quietly closed Mama's Po'Boys.

Then in 2005 the seventy-something George Zaback and his daughter Sandra decided to resurrect the family business at the current Westheimer and Fountainview location. But before the doors opened, George Zaback passed away. Sandra Zabak, with the help of two of her brothers, opened the restaurant anyway. At the new location, Houston's first family of falafels has faithfully recreated their father's awesome sandwich.